Steering apparatus for motor-vehicles.



PATENTED JAN. 31, 1905.

0. SMITH. vSTEERING APPARATUS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 7, 1904.

I nventor WHIICBBCG IPatented January 31, 19C 5.

' PATENT" OFFICE} (ELEMENT SMITH, OF TOPEKA, KANSAS.

STEERING APPARATUS FOR MQTQR-V F.

srncxmcmrxon forming part sf Letters Patent No. 78.1,238, dated January31', 1905.. 1

Application filed September 7,1904. Serial No. 223,651. 7

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLEMENT SMITH, a citizen I of the United States,"residing at Topeka, in

i the ends thereof, and 0 Care wheels mountthe county of Shawnee andState of Kansas,

have invented new and useful Improvements ject to provide a simple,compact, and .dura' ble steering apparatus and one that is selflockingand self-lubricating.

With the foregoing in mind the invention will be fully understood fromthe following description and claims, when taken in connectionwith itheaccompanying drawings,

forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a top plan viewillustrative of the apparatus constitutingthe present and:

preferred embodiment of. my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal verticalsection taken in-the plane indicated by the lines 2 2 of Figs. 3 and 4:;Fig.3 is a transverse 'sectiontaken in the plane indicatedbythe'line3 30f'.Fig. 2. Fig.

4 is a view taken at right angles to Fig. 2and illustrating thegear-casing in rear elevation,

and Fig. 5- is a longitudinal vertical section.

taken in the plane'indicate d' by the line 5 5 of .Fig. 4 andillustrating a portion of the rockshaft in side elevation.

Similar letters Idesignatecorresponding parts in all ofthe views of thedrawings.

.Referring to the drawings, A is the rigid. front axle of amotor-vehicle. B B are bellcrank knuckles fulcrumed on the axle A, at

ed on the outwardly-extending arms of the bell-crank knuckles, All ofthese'parts :may

i be andpreferably are of the ordinary construction, as shown; but theymay be of any other construction compatible with the purposes of myinvention without involving a de-' parture from the scope thereof.

D 1s atr'ansverse timber designed to. be connected-to-the frame of amotor-vehicle in a positionsuitable. to the operation of' my .a'iparatus."

E' is a casing bolted or otherwise fixedly connected tothetimber'D',;Fig.'2, and having horizontal longitudinally-disposed bear-F'is a rod connected to the inner arms'of the bell-crank knuckles B andhaving a ball e at or adjacent to its end; G, amok-shaft .journaled inthe bearings ab of the casing E I and having a depending crank f, whichterit necessary to illustr'ate, -and M a'wormgear, fixed on the'shaft Iwithin the casing E and intermeshed with the sector-gear H, asbest'shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Therod'N also has a socket g to receive theball e.

By reason of the construction described it will be'observedthat when theshaft I is turned on its axis the shaft G will be rocked, the rods NandF will be moved sidewise, and the wheels calculated of itself to retainthe wheels C in the position in which they are placed. relative to therigid axle 'A-'that the casing'E is adapted to protect the intermeshedgears ings a and harranged in alinement, Fig. 2, and oblique bearings 0andd, also arranged a in alinement, Figs. 1 and 2.

and M against dust, &c., and. at the same time retain lubricant incontact. with. said gears,

and that by reason of the employment of the internally-toothedsector-gear-LH and the ar-' rangement'of the worm-gear M within the saidsector-gear the apparatus may bemade srnall and light in proportiontothestrength vantageous, because it permits of the employ:

. required. The disposition of theworm-gearj in theopen sector-gear isalso-materially ad ment of a large sector calculated to afford-con,-

steering-shaft G the whirls ofthe spiral of the worm-gear M may bedisposed horizontally,- and hence spur-teeth, such asshown, may beemployed on the sector-gear H. This is advantageous, since the teeth area considerable the wheels. C.

I have entered into a detailed description of the construction andrelative arrangement of the parts embraced in the present and preferredembodiment of my invention in order to impart a full, clear,- and exactunderstanding of the said embodiment. I do not desire. however, to beunderstood as confining myself to such specific construction andrelative arrangement of parts, as such changes or modifications may bemade in practice as fairly fall within the scope of my invention asclaimed.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is E 1. In a steering apparatus for motorrvehicles, thecombination (Stone or more wheels, a steering-shaft, an open sector-gearhaving internal teeth, a connection between said gear and the Wheel orwheels for moving the latter by the former, and a worm-gear carried bythe steering-shaft and arranged in and intermeshed with the sector-gear.

2. In a steering apparatus for motor-vehicles, the combination of one ormore wheels, a

casing having bearings, a steering-shaft journaled in said casing, anopen sector-gear arranged in the casing and having internal teeth, aconnection between said gear and the wheel or wheels for moving thelatter by the former, and a worm-gear carried by the steering-shaft andarranged in and intermeshed with the sector-gear.

3. In a steering apparatus for motor-vehicles, the combination of one ormore wheels, a rock-shaft, a connection between the rockshaft and theWheel or wheels for moving the latter by the former, an open sector-gearcarried by the rock-shaft and having internal teeth, a steering-shaft,and a worm-gear carried by the steering-shaft and arranged in andintermeshed with the sector-gear.

4. In a steering apparatus 'for motor-vehicles, the combination ofone-or more wheels, a casing having bearings, a rock-shaft journaled inthe casing and having a crank, rods con necting said crank and the wheelor wheels, an open sector-gear fixed on the rock-shaft within thecasing, and having internal teeth, a steering-shaft journaled in thecasing, and

a Worm-gear carried by the steering-shaft and arranged in andintermeshed with the open sector-gear. v

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

CLEMENT SMITH.

Witnesses:

L. H. GREENWOOD, ARTHUR J. MCOABE.

